Northern Ireland national Junior football team
| Nickname(s) | Green and White Army, Norn Iron | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Association | Irish Football Association | ||
| Confederation | UEFA (Europe) | ||
| Head coach | Harry McConkey | ||
| Captain | James Cully | ||
| Most caps | Brian Hylands (25)[1] | ||
| Home stadium | various | ||
| FIFA code | NIR | ||
|
|||
| First international | |||
 Ireland 0–11 Scotland  (Glasgow; 15 February 1890) |
|||
| UEFA Regions Cup | |||
| Appearances | 2 (First in 2007) | ||
| Best result | Finals Group Stage | ||
The Northern Ireland Junior national football team, commonly referred to as Northern Ireland Juniors, represents Northern Ireland in international association football matches for teams selected outside national professional leagues. Originally selected on an all-Ireland basis, the team is now limited to selecting players appearing in intermediate and junior leagues within Northern Ireland. A number of players have graduated from the Junior international side to the senior international side, notably Norman Uprichard and Dick Keith who played at the 1958 World Cup. The most recent player to graduate to the senior team was Stuart Dallas.
Contents
History
Ireland Juniors played their first representative match against Scotland in 1890. The Scots became the primary opponents for Ireland Juniors through to the 1990s with only occasional matches against Wales and the Republic of Ireland for variety.[2]
Today
The main competition for junior level national teams in Europe is the UEFA Regions Cup. Northern Ireland Juniors first entered in 2000 but a change in the rules mean that since 2007 the national team has been unable to enter and a regional select has entered in its stead.[3] Since this change the Eastern Region has been Northern Ireland's only representative having defeated the Western Region in each play-off.
In addition Northern Ireland Juniors regularly compete in the International Quadrangular Tournament along with Scotland, the Republic of Ireland and the Isle of Man. Northern Ireland have won this competition twice, in 1995 and 1996.
Current squad
The following players were selected for the Junior International Quadrangular Tournament held in Limerick, Ireland from 2–6 October 2013.[4]
| Position | Name | Club |
|---|---|---|
| GK | Steven McKay | Dundela |
| GK | Robert Robinson | Lisburn Distillery |
| DF | Jeff Brady | Loughgall |
| DF | Andrew Doyle | Ballyclare Comrades |
| DF | Aaron Harmon | Carrick Rangers |
| DF | Gary Haveron | Carrick Rangers |
| DF | Paddy McLaughlin | Institute |
| DF | Scott McMillan | Shankill United |
| DF | Pat McShane | Larne |
| MF | Wes Boyle | Loughgall |
| MF | Daniel Burns | Dundela |
| MF | Kyle Cherry | Dundela |
| MF | Steven Cockcroft | Harland & Wolff Welders |
| MF | Colum Curtis | Knockbreda |
| MF | Correy Davidson | Carrick Rangers |
| MF | Gary Henderson | Institute |
| MF | Aaron Walsh | Institute |
| FW | John Boyce | Immaculata |
| FW | Miguel Chines | Knockbreda |
| FW | Daniel Ryan | Loughgall |
Competition Records
UEFA Regions' Cup
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| Year | Round | GP | W | D | L | GS | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Did not enter | ||||||
| 2001 | Qualifying Round | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 4 |
| 2003 | Qualifying Round | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 3 |
| 2005 | Qualifying Round | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 3 |
| 20071 | Finals – Group Stage | 9 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 11 | 6 |
| 20091 | Intermediate Round | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| 20111 | Intermediate Round | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 6 |
| 20131 | Finals | 9 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 15 | 12 |
| 20151 | Finals | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 15 | 7 |
| Total | 42 | 20 | 10 | 12 | 68 | 44 | |
1 Since 2007 Northern Ireland has been represented by the winner of a play-off between the Eastern Region and Western Region. To date the Eastern Region have been the only winner.
Quadrangular Tournament
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| Year | Round | Position | GP | W | D | L | GS | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 1993–94 |
Did not enter1 | |||||||
| 1994–95 |
Final | 1st | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 3 |
 1995–96 |
Final | 1st | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
 1996–97 |
Final | 2nd | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 1997–98 |
3rd place play-off | 4th | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| 1998–99 |
3rd place play-off | 4th | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 8 |
| 1999–2000 |
3rd place play-off | 4th | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| 2000–01 |
League[5] | 3rd | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 5 |
| 2002-03 |
League | 4th | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 9 |
| 2004–05 |
League | 3rd | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| 2007–08 |
League | 3rd | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 7 |
| 2009–10 |
League | 4th | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| 2013-14 |
League | 3rd | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 6 |
| Total | 30 | 6 | 9 | 15 | 31 | 57 | ||
1 A Mid Ulster side represented Northern Ireland
References
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